Piano Professor Wins State Teaching Award

Professor of Piano Dylan Savage has been named the 2024 “Teacher of the Year” by the North Carolina Music Teachers Association (NCMTA). Founded in 1959, the NCMTA is an affiliate of the Music Teachers National Association and represents some 500 music teachers from across the state.

Dr. Savage received the award at the NCMTA annual conference, held October 10-12 in Greensboro, where he also presented the session “How to Use the Music Lesson to Teach and Advance Human-Centered Qualities and Relevance in the Age of AI.”

Dr. Savage is the author of the book The Transposed Musician: Teaching Universal Skills to Improve Performance and Benefit Life, the first book to present a comprehensive and systematic method for teaching universal skills within the context of the music lesson. Dr. Savage is also co-author of the piano pedagogy book A Symposium for Pianists and Teachers: Strategies to Develop the Mind and Body for Optimal Performance and numerous articles found in Clavier, Clavier Companion, American Music Teacher, and Pianoforte magazines.

Dr. Savage has been a member of NCMTA for more than two decades and currently serves as the Vice President of the MTNA Foundation and Arts and Advocacy Forum Chair.